Darkest Heart
by Flame of Shadows
Summary: Kagome is trying to get out of an abusive relationship with Inuyasha, but the only person she can turn to for protection just may be his terrifying older brother, Sesshomaru... [On Hold]
1. Chapter 1: Troubled

**A/N: **This is my first try at writing a story. Please read and review!

"**Darkest Heart"**

Chapter 1: Troubled

Kagome looked out at the dreary, rain-soaked streets and watched as people with umbrellas went about their daily business, though a bit more hurried than usual. Those that had forgotten to bring umbrellas rushed by, holding newspapers and jackets above their heads to try and keep dry. They all wanted to get out of the rain, of course, and since the work day was over they could look forward to going back to their own homes and families.

The young woman watched them from the window of an apartment complex in a less-than-appealing part of the city and, because of her kind heart, hoped that they all had happy reunions with those that they loved. She sighed, and wished that she could look forward to one herself.

_I wonder if any of them realize they share this city with youkai and hanyou? _Ever since her miko powers first manifested, Kagome often had that thought. She could feel the auras of several demons and half-breeds in the crowd below, and she never got over the wonder of knowing that the myths and legends she had loved as a child were based on fact. _Of course, that's what got me into this mess to begin with, _Kagome chided herself, mentally shaking her head to get her thoughts back on track.

Her family owned a Shinto shrine outside of the city, and she had grown up learning about its history and the importance of keeping it well-run. Her grandfather had told the tales that she loved, tales that told of demons battling humans and miko, and of romances between the two races. Kagome, being who she was, loved the romantic tales most of all and as a young girl often imagined herself as a princess who tamed a great demon prince. She outgrew her childish dreams of a royal romance, but never quite gave them up. A girl could dream, after all. So, after she came into her power as a teenager and realized that demons were real, imagine her delight at finding a handsome hanyou who also went to her high school!

Inuyasha's long white hair and amber-colored eyes set him apart from the other students, though only those with powers such as her own could see through the glamour that all those with demon blood used to hide their true appearance and see the adorable little dog ears on his head. Kagome had seen the hanyou on her first day of high school, and had thought that those ears were the cutest thing in the world. Inuyasha was a couple years older than her and hung out with a rough group of boys, the school delinquents, which kept her from getting to know him at first. After watching him for a few weeks, Kagome had come to the conclusion that he was brash and rude, but still had a good heart under the hard exterior. She had seen him help a little boy who had lost his mom at the park, even carrying him around on his shoulders until they found her. She started to fall for him then, but she thought that a freshman wouldn't have a chance with a sophomore, not to mention the fact that he was on the basketball team and had a ton of fan girls after his attention at each game and every practice.

Then, after practice one day, he had walked up to her as she stood in her habitual place to the right of the doors leading out of the gym. He had come up to her, and started talking to her. Actually talking to her! A freshman! Kagome hadn't been able to believe it, and she had blushed and stuttered, at least at first. But, he had been surprisingly easy to talk to, and she soon forgot her nervousness.

When Inuyasha had first shown an interest in her, Kagome had been surprised and flattered by the attention. As time went on, she developed a crush on the handsome hanyou because of all the little things that he began to do for her. He walked with her to and from school and spent time with her in their free time after school and on weekends. Spending a Saturday at the amusement park with him had led to some of her best memories of those better days. The first couple of years they knew each other, on Inuyasha's request, they avoided the terms boyfriend and girlfriend, his explanation being that they were both young and not ready for an actual relationship yet. Kagome had agreed, thinking that the hanyou was very mature despite his attitude and the friends that he kept. Her best friend Sango, a member of the school's Taekwondo club, hadn't been so sure.

"I don't trust him, Kagome. I don't know _why_, but what I do know is if he truly cared about you he wouldn't wait to ask you to be his girlfriend. After all, it's not like you're going to have sex with him after the first date." Sango crossed her arms and glared over at the hanyou, who was practicing jump shots on one of the school's outdoor courts. "And I highly doubt he's worried about preserving his _innocence_."

"Y-you just need to get to know him better!" Kagome said, blushing. "After all, you didn't like Miroku at first, either!" Miroku was perverted, but he had eventually won the heart of the tough young woman. They had been going out for over a year, now. Sango gave her an uncertain look, but let the topic go. The martial artist tried to talk to the young miko about her relationship at other times, but Kagome always became embarrassed dismissed her friend's worries.

Her mother felt the same as Sango. Mrs. Higurashi was not happy with the idea of her daughter dating a delinquent, no matter how well he acted when he was visiting, but didn't want to force Kagome to break off the relationship. The older woman knew that some lessons had to be learned through experience, and while she wouldn't interfere, she would always provide a safe place for her daughter to mend her heart. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, however.

When Kagome became a sophomore, Inuyasha had graduated and began working at a garage. He still wanted to be with her, though, and when he had time off from his job he would spend it with her whenever possible. A couple months later, they had been walking on a path around the park's lake and he had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. Her heart nearly burst with happiness at the question, and she had said yes without hesitation.

Kagome had thought that their relationship could only get better after they officially became a couple, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

Looking back now, she understood that she had been completely swept up by the idea of a romance with someone who wasn't human. Her childhood dream of taming a demon with her love caused her to be blind to the darker parts of the hanyou's personality. Kagome dismissed the intense jealousy that he showed whenever she spent time with or talked to another man, and forgave his harsh actions and rude words.

She had been looking at their relationship through rose colored glasses, and it wasn't until after she had graduated and moved into this apartment with him that they had been shattered.

The first time Inuyasha hit her he had been drunk and upset about his job. Since he hadn't gone to college, there was only so far he could go in the garage. After his boss told him that he couldn't move up from the position that he held now, Inuyasha became enraged and rushed from the garage to a nearby bar. By the time he got home, he was very drunk and backhanded her when she tried to help him. Kagome slammed into the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. She had nearly been knocked unconscious, but once the room came back into focus she was back up on her feet. She helped the snarling hanyou get into bed, and then sat on the couch trying to figure out what happened.

Kagome had forgiven Inuyasha that first time, thinking that it was because he was angry and drunk. She forgave the next few times as well. _It kept getting worse, though, _she thought. _Those first times he was drunk. I had been around enough drunken people to understand that some got violent. Then, he started doing it when he was sober. _

Inuyasha started to abuse her more and more often, and not just physically. He would become infuriated by the slightest things, the fact that dinner wasn't ready when he got home, and she had forgotten to do some errand or other, or even if she left the apartment to be with her friends. His jealousy became almost obsessive, and anytime he discovered that she had spent time with any man other than himself he would beat her. He had forced himself on her several times as well, her arms still bearing the bruises from the last occasion.

He began spending nights away from the apartment, and even though this meant Kagome had a break from his presence, she still worried that he would leave her for some other woman. Like many women in a bad relationship, she thought she could fix their problems with a bit of effort, and would bring back the man she had fallen for with her love and determination.

Now, she had discovered that Inuyasha was cheating on her, and was going to confront him about it. All she had to do was wait for him to come home. A tear trailed down her cheek, startling her back to the present. She wiped her face on her sleeve and sniffled. Her eyes refocused on the rain-soaked streets below their apartment, and she watched the few people that still passed by while trying to forget about the cramping of her stomach and the fear that coursed through her body.


	2. Chapter 2: Escape

**A/N:** Sorry for taking so long to update. I had to deal with all of my final projects and papers, and then the exams. Then I had to renew my CPR/First Aid and Lifeguarding certifications (lifeguarding is my summer job), which took up an entire weekend (class from 11 am to ~ 8 pm! Unbelievable!). And _then _I got sick with what I had thought was just a cold until I went to get checked out at the Urgent Care Clinic place near my house and they told me I had acute pharyngitis. Who knew that laryngitis had a cousin of sorts? So, I have either been too busy or haven't felt much like writing. Plus my internet has been a bit bitchy, kicking me off for no reason whatsoever. However, I now have antibiotics and time to kill until I am allowed to go to work! Whoot!

Please enjoy the next installment of the story!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, along with all of its characters, including Sesshomaru and Kagome. If I owned them, well…(grins evilly) Mwahahaha-*ahem*-Sorry. Let's just say things would be…different. Yeah. Onwards!

"**Darkest Heart"**

Chapter 2: Escape

Kagome was jolted out of her thoughts by a familiar aura brushing against her own. She looked out the window at the streets again, and saw a white blur moving towards the front entrance of the building through the gloom.

Clenching her fist tighter into the folds of the shirt she held, Kagome absentmindedly brushed her free hand against her tear-stained cheeks. Inuyasha didn't like to see her after she had been crying, saying that it made her uglier than she normally was and made her smell disgusting. As half inu-youkai, or dog demon, his nose was more sensitive than a human's, and he hated the smell of tears.

It was a couple minutes before she heard the stairwell door open and the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, Kagome tried to gather what little courage she had left. The key turned in the lock, and the apartment's door opened.

Inuyasha was taller than average, around 5 foot 10 inches, and dressed in grease-stained jeans and dark t-shirt. He wore a denim jacket that had been soaked through by the rain. He had cut his long white hair after he started working at the garage, and now it was barely long enough to reach his (human) ears, and was a bit spiky when it was dry. Now, though, it was plastered to his head and water dripped from the tips to the old, ragged carpeting that covered the floor.

He shook his head a bit, water spraying everywhere, and turned his head to glare at Kagome, still sitting beside the window in the living room. She flinched when the hard amber eyes looked into her own.

"Wench, get me a towel. Now." he growled. Kagome stood and quickly went to the hall closet, taking out a clean white towel, which she brought to the hanyou. He snatched it from her trembling grasp, and pushed past her, walking to the bedroom while rubbing his hair dry.

The bedroom door slammed closed, and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief before remembering the shirt she still held in her hand. A spike of fear tore through her, and she began to have second and even third thoughts about confronting him about it.

_Maybe I should wait until tomorrow. He might be in a better mood then, _she thought, and then caught herself. _No, I need to speak to him about it. If I wait, then I'll never know the truth. Besides, I might never get the courage to do it again._

Doubts still surfaced through her determination, though. _What if he really is cheating on me? Will I be able to get him back? Does he still love me, or does he love the other woman more? _And more thoughts followed the opposite track. _What if he isn't cheating, and this is all a mistake? I've never actually seen him with another woman. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions about this, and he'll be angry that I thought he would do that. What if he leaves me? _

The doubts ran in circles around her mind, and Kagome could feel her heart rate increase and her breathing quicken. Shaking her head, she tried to focus. Clenching her fist into the shirt once more, she steeled her resolve and waited for Inuyasha to emerge.

Even so, she started when the door opened and Inuyasha stepped out, barefoot and dressed in new, dry clothes: dark grey sweatpants and a red t-shirt. His hair was still damp, and messy from being dried. Running a clawed hand through it, he strode into the kitchen and got a beer out of the refrigerator. Opening it, he turned and was a little surprised to see Kagome in the doorway watching him.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Whadda you want, wench? I already ate, so there's no need for you to be here."

The young woman moved a few steps closer, and hesitatingly lifted the shirt she held. Inuyasha's brows lowered at the sight.

"What the hell's this? Laundry is your job. You think I'm gonna do something with that, woman?"

Kagome gulped nervously. "I was doing the laundry earlier today, and I found something on one of your shirts."

Inuyasha's nose twitched at the scent of her fear. What had she found? These days, it didn't take much for the useless woman to become afraid, but he didn't think she'd ever be afraid of one of his shirts. _Proves how stupid and weak she is, _he thought.

"Well?" He growled. "Are you gonna tell me what it is, or are you just wastin' my time again?"

With an almost angry flourish, Kagome unfurled the shirt. It was a white, cheap imitation of a polo shirt, with three buttons leading to the collar. A dark pinkish red stain could clearly be seen on the shoulder and the fold-down collar of one side. Deeper red marred the collar closest to wear Inuyasha's neck would be.

"I was wondering if you could explain this. I don't wear these shades of makeup, and I don't remember you wearing this shirt when we were together. What were you doing?"

The hanyou's blood boiled at her insolent tone. How dare she try and reprimand him like he was a puppy!

Now that she had begun, Kagome was on a roll. Ignoring the warning signs, she continued with what she wanted to say.

"Are you seeing another woman? I thought that you loved _me_. We've been together for nearly four years! How could you do this to me?" She was angry, and on the verge of tears.

"I thought we meant something to one another! But you're gone half the time, off doing who-knows-what at night, and you—"

Her tirade ended with a shriek as Inuyasha's hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Snarling, he yanked her closer to his face, where she got a close-up view of his bared fangs.

"Shut the hell up! You think you're important to me, wench?" His words were barely understandable. "You're nothin' but a little bitch for me to fuck whenever I feel like it. That's all you're good for, and a whore is all you're ever gonna be!"

Kagome whimpered when he shoved her from him. "So what if I'm fucking other women? It's what I wanna do, and I'm gonna damn well do what I want!"

She crumpled to the floor, her knees giving out at what he had said, his admission that their relationship is nothing like what she thought it was. A sob escaped her throat before she could stop it, and tears ran down her face from the pain she felt in her chest.

The scent of her tears further enraged the hanyou. "I told you to never do that!" He struck her across the face, sending her reeling to the floor.

"I'll teach you to never disobey me again, bitch!" He snarled, reaching down to grab her by the upper arms. His grip was none-too-gentle, and his claws dug into her skin, staining her shirt with blood. Dragging her upright, he stepped forward and slammed her into the wall. Kagome gasped with pain as the breath was forced from her lungs.

Drawing back one clawed hand, Inuyasha backhanded her hard enough to almost send her to the floor again, if not for the hand still holding her arm. Blood trickled down from her mouth to mingle with the tears, and more speckled the kitchen tiles and cheery flower-covered wallpaper as he struck her again on the opposite cheek.

Kagome cried out in pain, and choked when that same clawed hand wrapped around her throat.

Drawing her forward slightly, Inuyasha slammed her into the wall once again, using his inhuman strength to raise her several inches off the floor.

Tears flowing freely down her cheeks, Kagome clawed at the arm that held her by the throat. Fear consumed her, and rational thoughts were buried under the instincts to survive, to get away. To flee. She kicked out, landing several blows that only made the hanyou angrier. His own thoughts were engulfed by the beast inside him, and he became completely controlled by his emotions.

Kagome was suddenly pulled from the wall and thrown across the kitchen! Crying out in surprise and fear, she covered her head just before hitting one of the chairs and slamming to the floor. She slid into the cabinets under the sink, and curled into a fetal position, sobbing.

Her fear spiked even higher when she heard his footsteps approaching, and the fear she felt and her instincts to survive took over, wrenching her miko powers out of the tight control that she had kept them in. Her aura flared and sparked, lighting the kitchen with the pinkish light that was her power.

Inuyasha was too enraged, too controlled by the beast to notice, and shot his hands out to grab her again. This time, though, her powers stopped him. Recognizing the threat, the uncontrolled energy seemed to coil into the miko for a split second before erupting in a blast of power.

The hanyou was engulfed in the explosion, and thrown back with such force that he crashed through the wall behind him. Smoke rose up from his body, which was now covered in burns from being exposed to the pure energy Kagome had unconsciously unleashed.

Several minutes passed before Kagome came back to herself. Uncurling slightly, she took in the destruction she had caused through blurry eyes. Realizing what had happened and what she had done, Kagome was almost paralyzed with fear once more. Only one thought kept her from collapsing again: She had to get away from him before he came to.

A rustling sound came from the hole in the wall.

Scrambling to her feet, she ran from the kitchen and into the living room. Not even stopping to put on a jacket and her outdoor shoes, she fled through the front door and down the hall to the stairs. Just as she had almost reached the stairwell door, a roar erupted from her apartment.

"_**You…BITCH!"**_

Slamming the door open, she half ran, half fell down the two flights of stairs that opened to the front lobby of the building. That door fairly flew off its hinges as she barreled through it and towards the front entrance.

A few strides later, she hit the front doors and ran out into the cold, rainy night.

**A/N: **Woo-hoo! Finally done! You wouldn't believe the difficulty I had with trying to get Inuyasha's character right for this story. Hopefully you approve of what I have accomplished. Any comments or advice you might have to offer would be appreciated. Please read and review!


	3. Making a Break for Freedom

**A/N: **Hey! I'm still alive, I promise! Look! I bring you the next chapter (it's a long one, too!) to appease you, my minio- …I mean…my readers! Please don't hurt me for taking so long to update. *hides behind couch* My muse was MIA and she laughs at my attempts at writing without her inspiration.

For those of you who are waiting for Sesshomaru to appear, sorry to disappoint you. He won't be in this chapter, though he will be mentioned. He will be in the next one, though. Oh, and I decided to change the rating to M after much thought and deliberation on how I want the story to go. It will get darker later on. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I can make the characters do my bidding in this story, though. *grins*

"**Darkest Heart"**

Chapter 3: Making a Break for Freedom

Rain fell steadily from the overcast night sky, soaking the city spread beneath it and everyone unfortunate enough to still be outside.

Kagome leaned against the side of a building, trying to catch her breath after her frantic run from the apartment. She couldn't remember most of it, her mind having been fogged by fear and the instincts that had taken over. She must have fallen several times, though, since her hands and knees ached and her palms were scraped and bleeding from the pavement. One of her slippers was missing, and her feet were soaked from running through puddles.

Her whole body was soaked, actually. And, since her rational mind was once again in control, she was just now noticing how cold she was. Fall had just started, and already it was cold enough that she could almost see her breath.

Straightening, she pushed her hair out of her face and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm up. She looked around to get her bearings. Where had she run to?

_This neighborhood looks familiar… _Kagome mused. Even though she was running in a panic, her feet had taken a well-known route, out of her neighborhood and into a nicer one closer to the outskirts of the city.

She was only a couple of miles from the home of her best friend in the whole world, Sango. Her parents had died in an accident while she was still a sophomore in high school, but they had left enough money for their daughter to be able to keep their home and take care of her younger brother, who had still been in elementary school at the time.

Kagome remembered how devastated Sango had been after the accident, and how proud she had been of her friend for pulling herself together so that she could take care of her little brother. She had not gone to college, instead taking over her family's dojo. Her uncle, her father's brother, helped the two siblings and taken over the position of master until he had deemed Sango old enough to teach. Now, they both taught the students that came to them to study martial arts, and their business, while not thriving, was doing well.

Sango's long-time boyfriend Miroku spent more time with them then he did in his own place. Kagome half-suspected that he would pop the question sometime in the future.

That, though, was a thought better suited to happier times.

_I guess I can give up on my hope of marrying Inuyasha, _Kagome thought sadly. _Maybe I'm not worthy of becoming anyone's wife. I couldn't even keep Inuyasha's heart, and who would want a woman like me? _

_Maybe I'm better off alone…_

That thought filled her kind heart with such sadness that she couldn't move from that spot on the pavement. Her breath hitched, and it felt like her heart was being crushed within her chest. All she wanted to do was curl up into herself and weep for what she had lost. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the aura she felt near the limit of her miko senses. It was familiar, but saturated with pain and rage. Inuyasha.

Fear shot through the sadness that held her, and she forced her feet to move forward once more, into a stumbling run that carried her in the direction of Sango's home, a place she hoped would be a sanctuary from what she was leaving behind.

~O~O~O~

Inuyasha snarled in rage. She had run away! His woman had dared to hurt him and then escaped from the apartment, escaped from his grasp!

He struggled to sit up, only to gasp in pain and fall back onto the rubble that had once been a part of his kitchen wall. His eyes reddened at the memory of what the wench had done to him.

The explosion of miko power that had sent him through the wall left him with burns over most of his body. Nothing life-threatening, but painful enough that he wouldn't be able to move for some time, at least a couple hours. All because of Kagome.

_The little bitch will pay!_ He promised himself. _When I catch her she'll wish she'd never challenged me! I'll make her beg for her worthless life!_

He trembled with rage as he lay slowly healing on the rubble, and entertained himself with thoughts of discipline and the scent of blood.

~O~O~O~

Kagome stood shivering from the cold outside of the gate at the front of Sango's house. It was a large structure, two or three times bigger than the neighboring houses. That was because the family dojo was attached to the house, allowing the master to be present at all times if necessary without having to travel to and from the dojo and another place.

Licking her lips nervously, she raised a trembling hand and pushed the gate open. She had not seen her friend for a long time. How was she going to react to a late night visit, and under such circumstances? Kagome limped down the path and knocked on the door.

She waited anxiously, wrapping her arms around herself again, more to comfort rather than for warmth. Kagome didn't think she would ever be warm again. She was soaked to the skin, and the cold of the night seemed to seep straight through her and into her bones.

Gathering her scattered thoughts, she knocked once again. She could feel the little strength she had waning.

A light came on in one of the second story windows, and she could hear movement and muffled voices. A few moments later, the door opened, and Kagome was face to face with a sleepy-eyed, angry Sango and a curious Miroku.

~O~O~O~

Sango didn't like to be woken up in the middle of the night. Especially when she was comfortably snuggled in a nice warm bed next to the nice warm body of the man she loved.

So, when the knock on her door woke her from her sleep, you could say she was irritated. She was still trying to decide between ignoring whoever was at the door and going back to sleep or answering the door and killing whoever was there when the knock sounded again. Miroku woke up this time, and with a sigh, Sango dragged herself out from under the covers and turned on the bedroom light. They both dressed quickly.

"Who do you think it could be?" Miroku asked.

"How should I know?" Sango retorted angrily. "Whoever it is better have a damn good explanation for this."

"If they are coming here in the middle of the night, maybe they're in trouble," Miroku softly replied, trying to sooth the anger of his beloved.

"If they aren't, they soon will be," Sango grumbled before heading downstairs to answer the door with Miroku close behind her.

All her anger flowed out of her like water only to be replaced by shock after she opened the door and saw who it was standing there.

"Kagome…?" she whispered.

The woman that Sango had always considered to be the sister of her heart stood on the front porch, and she looked like she had been dragged to hell and back. Her clothes and hair were plastered to her body, which was shivering violently from the cold. Her face was bruised, and her bottom lip was swollen and still bleeding. Even in the dim light provided by the porch light, bruises could be seen forming on her neck. Her eyes were the worst, though. Sango's heart broke to see the desolation in their blue-gray depths. It looked as if one harsh word would shatter her.

Suddenly, Sango's anger returned threefold. Someone had hurt her dear friend, and she could guess who it was easily. She reached out and grabbed Kagome's arm, dragging her into the warmth of the house.

~O~O~O~

Kagome started when Sango grabbed her arm, but she almost sobbed with relief when she was dragged into the house. Warmth suffused her body, and it was wonderful to be out of the rain for the first time in who-knows-how-long.

Her relief and happiness did not last long, however. Sango gripped her arms roughly and shook her, growling, "Did Inuyasha do this to you?"

Wincing, she nodded her head even as tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto her bruised cheeks. She didn't want to tell Sango the truth, but she didn't want to lie to her either. She had never been comfortable with lying.

With a snarl worthy of a demon, Sango released her and spun on her heel, striding angrily into the sitting room. Grabbing her katana from the rack on the wall above the fireplace, she spun back around, drawing the sword with an angry hiss of metal.

Miroku and Kagome both jumped in front of the vengeful woman, protesting.

"What are you doing, Sango?"

"No, Sango! You can't go after him!" Sango turned toward Kagome, ignoring Miroku entirely.

"I WILL go after him, Kagome, and I will KILL him for what he has done to you!"

"No!" Kagome cried, grabbing the other woman by her shoulders. "You can't fight him, Sango!"

Kagome turned her eyes beseechingly to Miroku. He would understand, surely, since she knew he had the same type of powers that she did. They had talked about it often when they were in high school. He knew that Inuyasha was more than human.

"Why not?" Sango demanded.

"He'll be too much for you!" Kagome was crying even harder. She couldn't let her friend put herself in danger because of her.

Sango snorted. "Why, because of what he is?"

Jaw dropping in shock, Kagome backed up a pace. "Wait…you mean you knew?"

Sighing, Sango lowered the sword point to the floor. "Kagome, I never wanted to tell you this, but I come from a long line of youkai slayers. I've always known about youkai and hanyou."

Seeing Kagome's distress, Sango once again felt her anger receding. Sheathing her sword, she leaned it beside the door and took her friend's arm again, gently this time. She led her over to the couch, and motioned for her to sit down, ignoring Kagome's mumbled protests. Miroku, who had left sometime during the exchange, returned with a towel that he handed to Kagome.

"I'll make some tea," he said softly, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Kagome fingered the towel sadly, remembering the events that had happened earlier this evening. She had given Inuyasha a towel as well, not long before she had destroyed their relationship with her accusations.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a hand on her knee. Blinking back more tears, she looked up into the worried eyes of her best friend.

"Inuyasha did do this to you, didn't he?" she asked quietly.

Kagome hesitated, but nodded her head. Rubbing her face with the towel, she mumbled her reply. "It was my fault…I found out that he had cheated on me, and I confronted him about it."

Dropping her hands into her lap, she turned tear-filled eyes to her friend. "Why couldn't I keep him loving me, Sango? What did I do that forced him to turn to another woman?"

"You didn't do anything but give your heart over to someone who didn't deserve it, Kagome, and don't let me hear you say anything else!" Sango cried. "You didn't force Inuyasha to cheat on you and beat you because of his mistake!"

Kagome burst into tears and sobbed into the towel. Realizing she had been too harsh, Sango sat next to the miko and put her arms around her shoulders, cradling her friend into her chest.

"Shhhh. I'm sorry, Kagome, I shouldn't have said that," she murmured into the wet hair. She held her until Kagome's sobs quieted. Miroku came into the room carrying the promised tray of tea. Sitting up, Kagome wiped her face on the towel and gave him a shaky smile as she accepted a steaming cup.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Sango turned to Kagome and uttered a question that they had all been thinking about.

"What will you do now?"

Her heart clenching, Kagome felt more tears pricking the back of her eyes and blinked to keep them at bay. She had already cried too much already. The miko gazed into her teacup as if she could find the answer to that question within its depths, and sighed. It was a heartbreaking sound, as if she had given up on everything.

"I don't know, Sango. I don't…can't go back to him. The apartment isn't home anymore, and," she took a deep breath, losing the fight against her tears, "I'm terrified of him."

That last part was whispered so softly that the other two had to strain to hear it. It broke Sango's heart to see the strong, compassionate woman that she had known turned into someone like this. Someone that was scared of a man that didn't deserve to kiss the ground Kagome stood on, much less breathe the same air and share the same bed.

_Maybe I could have prevented all this if I had just tried harder to get Kagome to see that Inuyasha wasn't trustworthy, _Sango thought sadly. _I failed my heart-sister, and now she's hurt because of HIM._

Miroku spoke up, surprising both of them. "Then you won't go back. We'll find you another place to stay. Somewhere safe."

"She can stay with us!" Sango exclaimed. "Your sutras will be able to keep the hanyou out, and I can fight him if he dares to come!"

Kagome was about to protest when, surprisingly, Miroku beat her to it.

"No, Sango, that won't work. Not that you're not strong enough to take him on," he added hastily when she turned a glare towards him, "but he won't think twice about attacking here, and Kagome could get hurt during the fight."

Sango grudgingly agreed. "So where is she supposed to go?"

"We need to take her to someone that even Inuyasha would hesitate about fighting," Miroku stated firmly. "She needs the protection of the hanyou's half-brother, Sesshomaru."

Silence. Then…

"That…biker?" Sango ground out. Miroku sighed.

"My dear Sango, the fact that he enjoys riding a motorcycle doesn't make him a biker. He's actually a very powerful and successful business man."

He turned to Kagome, and explained. "Sesshomaru owns the bar that I work at. It's kind of a hobby for him."

"And…he'll be willing to protect me from his own brother?" Kagome asked, confused. _Inuyasha never mentioned that he had a brother. What else has he been hiding?_

"Half-brother," Miroku corrected. "There's no love lost between those two. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Taking her cue, Sango stood and drew Kagome up with her. "Come on, Kagome. You need to warm up. You can take a shower in our bathroom, and I'll let you borrow some of my clothes."

She led Kagome up the stairs, and returned to the sitting room after a few minutes. Sitting down beside her boyfriend, they sat in silence for a while, listening to the water run in the shower.

Turning her attention to Miroku, Sango asked, "Should you call Sesshomaru and ask him if he'll be Kagome's protector?"

"Hmmm," Miroku thought for a moment. "No, I don't think calling him would be a good idea. Knowing Sesshomaru, he'll refuse to take her in if I talk to him over the phone. He'll just dismiss the problem."

"What? But how could he—"

Miroku cut her off with an upraised hand. He gave her a lopsided grin that held quite a bit of humor despite the circumstances.

"However, if the problem meets him in person, face-to-face, he'll be honor-bound to take it on, and he'll accept the role of her protector."

**A/N: **There you go! Whew, that's the longest chapter that I have written so far! Next time, we'll get to actually meet Sesshomaru (the biker! XD). I'll get the next update in sooner, I promise! By the way, thanks to everyone who reviewed my story and thought it was good enough to favorite and/or add to story alerts! You all make me so happy!

Now, it's after 1:30 in the morning and I need to go to bed. Sleeeeeep…


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